Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
Here is the new CEMP Research Bulletin. CEMP bulletin FEB 15 Isa
As always, talk to the CEMP Fellow in your academic group, Milena in CEL, Richard Berger or Julian McDougall to follow up any of the opportunities listed or to get involved in research with CEMP.
A new book on the business ecosystem theory has been published by Palgrave Macmillan recently, which was co-authored by Dr.Ke Rong from the business school and Dr.Yongjiang Shi from University of Cambridge. This book systematically deconstructs a business ecosystem and explores the way to nurture a business ecosystem, by learning from rich cases in a global context. This book is also endorsed by Dr.James Moore as below, who originated the business ecosystem concept in 1993 and authored the most cited business ecosystem book ‘The death of competition: leadership and strategy in the age of business ecosystems’ in 1996.
The new book title is:
‘Business Ecosystems: Constructs, Configurations, and the Nurturing Process’
Authored by Ke Rong (Bournemouth University) & Yongjiang Shi (University of Cambridge)
Abstract:
In the past 20 years, the business ecosystem theory has captured the attention and fired the imagination of many involved in industrial innovation and manufacturing transformation. However, the concepts, boundaries and theoretical systems are still not comprehensively explored and structured. In order to tackle how a company can nurture its business ecosystem for future sustainable competitive advantages, Business Ecosystems provides very detailed and convincing case studies demonstrating the dramatic transformations of the mobile computing industry and the significant impact from its business ecosystem. This book systematically examines business ecosystems in an emerging industry context while fundamentally exploring and identifying four essential areas of business ecosystems: the business ecosystems’ key constructive elements, their typical patterns of element configurations, the five-phase process of their life cycle, and the nurturing strategies and processes from a company perspective. The book not only contributes to different disciplines but also provides insights to practitioners who can be inspired to develop their business ecosystems.
The book’s link:
http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/business-ecosystems/?k=9781137405906&loc=us
Endorsement from Dr.James Moore
Business Ecosystems by Ke Rong and Yongjiang Shi is a landmark in the field of business strategy. As someone who has lived my life with managers developing business ecosystems, I can attest that the authors “get” the essence and the power of the approach.
Business ecosystems are the dominant design for strategy making in technology-based businesses today. In practice, business ecosystems are everywhere: producer-centered, customer-centered, people, technology and product centered. Business ecosystems nest within others. Business ecosystems are themselves complexly related.
The authors provide a model for studying business ecosystems in their richness. They review two decades of academic research in order to clarify the construct. The authors show that business ecosystems dynamics reflect the principles of general systems theory, agent-based-modeling and the mathematics of networks. Helpfully, the authors demonstrate this by exploring the logical extension of leading systems-based concepts of advanced manufacturing into the domain of business ecosystems.
They demonstrate that the business ecosystem field of application is at a higher logical type than other theories of strategy–that is, business ecosystems ideas guide leaders to intervene to continually reshape industry structure, and to do so simultaneously within multiple related industries. Leaders collaborate to establish ecosystem-wide shared values and visions that in turn support collective conduct and result in shared gains in performance.
Business ecosystems are notoriously difficult for outsiders to study. The guiding visions of business ecosystems are inherently cross-company and cross-industry, are usually held secret by members, and peer far into the future.
Ke Rong was able to gain access to top leaders in three related very-large-scale global business ecosystems, originating on three different continents and in three forms of capitalism, all contributing to one of the most dynamic fields of world business. The result is a narrative of great interest to executives as well as researchers.
By sketching the story in its broadest and most complete form, there is much for the rest of us to chew on, refine and question. The breakthrough is that we can do so as a community, with this work and its methodology as a foundation.
James F. Moore, Concord, Massachusetts, December, 2014
A conference at Bournemouth University explored some of the issues around finance and lending to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
The two-day Entrepreneurship and Access to Finance for SMEs conference brought together speakers and delegates from industry, academia and government agencies to discuss the most pertinent issues of SME finance and credit risk.
A number of breakout sessions and workshops explored key issues around SME finance, borrowing and policy, while keynote speeches were also given by leading names in the finance and lending world – Thortsen Beck, from City University London, and Josh Ryan-Collins, of the New Economics Foundation.
The event marked the start of a project which will be delivered after a successful bid to the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the UK’s leading research and training agency addressing economic and social concerns.
Opening the conference, BU’s Professor Jens Holscher, Principal Investigator for the project, said: “This is the start of a two-year project and the first of seven meetings.
“This is ‘blue sky’ and so we wanted to exchange ideas and even get new things we should be looking at.”
He added: “A key long term and strategic position of BU is to become known for regional economic development and SMEs are key, so we see this project as part of a bigger vision of regional economic development.”
The project team consists of Professor Jens Hölscher and Co-Investigators Professor Andrew Mullineux and Professor Dean Patton, with colleagues from the University of Brighton, Aston University and the University of Nottingham.
The project team will also collaborate with Professor Andreas Horsch and his colleagues from the Technical University of Freiberg in Germany, who will contribute on access to finance from Germany.
The next generation of mobile communications technology, 5G, will be a flexible infrastructure capable of handling our ever increasing demand for mobile data and providing connectivity for a wide range of future technologies, from the Internet of Things to digital healthcare, and from advanced gaming to driverless cars. 5G’s short and fast network response times will unleash a new wave of exciting and disruptive applications and with experts predicting deployment from as early as 2020, this evening’s speakers will consider the opportunities for smart start-ups and innovators and share their thoughts on how entrepreneurs can seize this opportunity to create new, world-class businesses.
Confirmed Speakers:
The Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management’s Co-Director, Dr. Dinusha Mendis and CIPPM Member, Dr. Fabian Homberg presented their research on ‘Valuing the Public Domain’ – a collaboration with CREATe, University of Glasgow – on 5th December 2014, at Digital Catapult, London.
‘Valuing the Public Domain’ is a major research and knowledge exchange project carried out in collaboration with CREATe, University of Glasgow and is co-funded by the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The purpose of the project is 1) to map the size of the public domain and frequency of its use; 2) analyse the role of public domain works in value creation for UK firms; and 3) assist UK media companies to identify business models that benefit from the public domain.
The half-day event brought together project researchers and transmedia businesses to explore and discuss the results of the study. During the discussions, a number of significant questions were addressed including (a) what does the availability and use of the rich tradition of public domain materials in this country mean for UK creative industries?; (b) how can SMEs and other businesses leverage the public domain effectively to generate value?; and (c) what are the emerging market trends and practices that will hinder or enable access to public domain materials in the future?
Following the event in December, the final report authored by Dr. Kris Erickson, Professor Paul Heald, Dr. Fabian Homberg, Professor Martin Kretschmer and Dr. Dinusha Mendis was published in March 2015 and can be accessed here..
The aim of the workshop was to identify projects and partners for future collaborative research and to discuss the potential for the establishment of a Centre for Digital Copyright Research in China at the Ningbo campus. The established Centre is expected to act as a Hub for research development between UK and China.
Even parachutists are encouraged to yawn before dropping out of a plane in order to stimulate the arousal system to maintain vigilance. Cortisol (Fig 1), the naturally produced stress hormone, is now established as co-existent with the yawning reflex and with new research showing that those who yawn have higher levels of salivary cortisol than those who do not yawn (1).
Fig 1. Cortisol molecule
A curious problem is the temperature fluctuation and fatigue levels of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who excessively yawn. With a view to establishing cortisol patterns within the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, our natural stress feedback loop, centrally controlled deep within our brains, I am exploring how yawning might provide an important clue to diagnosis. Developing cortisol as a biomarker for early detection of neurological symptoms is the intended goal for research I am undertaking at Bournemouth University in collaboration with Université Paris X Ouest Nanterre La Défense, Hôpital Universitaire Amiens, Jules Verne Université de Picardie, Université Paris 8 St Denis, Université Paris 5 René Descartes, and the Clinical Research & Imaging Centre, University of Bristol.
It is hoped that people with MS may benefit with early treatment intervention that will be supported with professional care from the French and British MS Societies, Ligue Française contre la Sclérose en Plaques and the UK Multiple Sclerosis Society.
I was invited to discuss my research recently with Newstalk Irish National Radio broadcaster, Seán Moncrieff on the Moncrieff Show, 07 January 2015 (2). We feared that some listeners may in fact uncontrollably yawn but hopefully as a positive reaction to this intriguing subject!
References
1.
Thompson, S.B.N., Rose, K., Richer, S., 2014. Yawning with cortisol: examining the neuroscience behind the Thompson Cortisol Hypothesis for supporting rehabilitation of neurologically impaired individuals. Journal of Neuroscience & Rehabilitation, 1(1), 1-11, doi: 2014.01.01/2374-9091: SS0003
2.
Moncrieff Show, 07 Jan 2015:
http://www.newstalk.com/player/listen_back/8/15549/07th_January_2015_Moncrieff_Part_3
The Centre for Entrepreneurship continued its program of activities for BU students just before Christmas with a joint event with Business Mania, the BU student enterprise society. We were delighted that CfE tenant and student entrepreneur Robin Humphries, from award winning Static Games, was able to give a presentation to a group of 70 students about his experience of setting up a business. Robin gave the group an insight into the challenges he has faced and provided hints and tips for budding entrepreneurs.
Static Games has been a tenant in the Centre for Entrepreneurship since early 2014 and the CfE have been delighted to support the growing company, even assisting them to successfully pitch for £10,000 equity-free Creative England funding. This business event is one of many forthcoming student activities the Centre for Entrepreneurship will be involved in. If you have any student entrepreneurs on your courses who would like to find out more please do contact us: nharvey@bournemouth.ac.uk
For the full write up and video please visit the BUCFE website
Why do we yawn? Dogs and cats make us yawn. We even yawn in the womb.
The first yawn of the day is usually when we awake to stretch our intercostal muscles surrounding our lungs to bring in more oxygen. Many of us recognise yawning as a sign of tiredness or boredom yet we also yawn before that important job interview. We contagiously yawn when our pets yawn and because we are empathetic towards another yawning human being. We even yawn in the womb.
As a member of the International Association for Research on Yawning, I have presented at the first international conference of neuroscientists and neurologists on yawning in Paris in 2010. Since then, I have been conducting research into this intriguing area and proposed the Thompson Cortisol Hypothesis (1;2) to explain why the naturally produced stress hormone cortisol is released during yawning – a phenomenon never reported before.
Recently, I was delighted to be invited by the prestigious New Scientist to write a piece about this curiosity that affects all of us (3) and have received so much international interest that it has encouraged me to continue this pursuit with a view to its medical application.
I am also a member of the International Scientific Committee on Research into Multiple Sclerosis (MS) which is particularly relevant to yawning as people with MS often include fatigue and excessive yawning in their reported symptoms. Meeting in Paris recently with international collaborators from Paris X Ouest University and the French Multiple Sclerosis Society, I am conducting research into induced fatigue and MS and how these variables affect cortisol levels.
It is hoped this may point towards the development of a new diagnostic tool for the early diagnosis of MS using cortisol as a biomarker.
References
Contact: simont@bournemouth.ac.uk
SUREBU is a Fusion funded project aimed at showcasing the best of BU’s undergraduate research. Research is broadly defined and could include work towards an undergraduate essay or dissertation, work carried out as part of a volunteer or work placement, or activities for an academic society. Not only are research skills a central part of undergraduate study and academic life, but they are also vital skills for any future career. By encouraging undergraduate students to think critically and develop their skills, research will help to enhance their student experience and increase their employability upon graduation.
The call for submissions is now open, and all BU undergraduate students – from all schools and courses – are eligible to apply. Examples of research could be anything from preparing for a dissertation or an essay to work carried out during a placement year to volunteering or work with academic societies. The main criteria is that evidence of the student’s own critical thinking can be demonstrated. As well as developing new skills, this is a good opportunity to enhance their CVs through a conference presentation, publication of abstract or even being the winner of awards and prizes.
To get involved, register on SUREBU’s website and submit an abstract. Abstracts should be a maximum of 300 words, with a title no longer than 150 characters. The deadline for submission is 5th January 2015. If you know of a student or recent graduate who would be eligible to submit, do encourage them to apply!
Just over a month ago we held a very successful meeting bringing together consumer researchers from a wide range of disciplines across the University. Our ‘Hands-On Information Sharing Session’ made it clear that there was tremendous potential for cross-disciplinary research and that as a united group we could not only act as a forum for research and ideas but also to provide a platform for interaction with industry.
This is a reminder that our next meeting is going to be held on:-
Wednesday, 3rd December in CG01, Christchurch House between 3-5pm. [Please note the change in venue.]
Anyone who is doing consumer research of any description is welcome (e.g. consumer behaviour, retail, marketing, advertising, psychology, consumer neuroscience …) and there will be coffee and mince pies to help our consumer thinking along.
At this meeting we will be begin to identify groups or clusters of researchers, to discuss potential collaborations, and discuss plans for the future.
So if you think this might be of interest, please do come along next Wednesday. If you are unable to make this meeting but are interested in being involved please email us to let us know and we will keep you informed about future events.
Jeff Bray (Tourism; jbray@bournemouth.ac.uk) Juliet Memery (Business School; jmemery@bournemouth.ac.uk) Janice Denegri-Knott (Media School; JDKnott@bournemouth.ac.uk) Siné McDougall (SciTech; smcdougall@bournemouth.ac.uk)
The Centre for Entrepreneurship, in association with Business Mania the BU Student Society, is delighted to present How I Survived My First Year in Business:The Brutal Truth, a short talk by CfE entrepreneur, Robin Humphreyies.
Robin is one of the founding members of Static Games and White Pug and set up the business during his placement year with a team of seven. Twelve months later, with £10,000 in equity-free funding and a successful trading record, Robin reflects upon his journey. In his short talk, this student entrepreneur will consider the top 10 challenges faced during his immersion in the world of business and, more importantly, how he overcame them and what he learned. Audience members will then have the opportunity of asking Robin questions about his placement-year business.
When? 1pm Wednesday 26th November 2014
Where? Lawrence Lecture Theatre, Talbot Campus
Ever thought about becoming an entrepreneur? Ever set up your own company? Or just interested in business? Then this snapshot session is for you.
Please note: this event is for BU students and members of staff only. Booking is essential.
About Robin Humphreyies and Static Games/White Pug
Robin Humphreyies is a final year student at Bournemouth University, on the Creative Technology course headed by Dr. Christos Gatzidis. Static Games is the gaming arm of the student business, with White Pug being the trading arm for web and app development. under the White Pug label, Robin and the team work directly with customers and white-label for local digital agencies.
Agenda
1:00pm:Arrival
1:15pm: How I Survived My First Year in Business: The Brutal Truth by Robin Humphreyies, Founder of Static Games & White Pug
1:45pm: Q & A
2-3 pm: Coffee, Cake & Networking
Wednesday 12 November 2014
5:30pm arrival for a 6pm start
Executive Business Centre, 89 Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth, BH8 8EB
We are delighted to invite you to join us for a presentation by George Padelopoulos, Sustainability Manager for B&Q. George will provide an insight into key challenges currently being addressed by B&Q around ‘Mega Trends’, ‘One Planet’ living, and global ethics. What will be the impact of future consumer trends and climate change on our buying decisions? Will we still have BBQs and power drills sat in the shed all year round or will we simply ‘borrow’ them whenever we need them?
This is a free event for businesses, BU students and BU staff. It is a great opportunity to network with colleagues and external businesses! To book click here
Friday 7th November 2014, Executive Business Centre
There has been much written on the latest developments relating to additive manufacturing or 3D printing as it is more commonly known. The recent rise of low-cost consumer 3D printers have also made the headlines and raised interesting and complex questions.
However, there is limited literature and debate on the implications of 3D printing surrounding intellectual property law, economics, policy, society and technology.
To understand these various implications, this event, co-sponsored by the ESRC and UKIPO and hosted by Dr. Dinusha Mendis Co-Director CIPPM, will bring together industry experts, social scientists, policy makers, lawyers, economists and manufacturers of 3D printing and as such will go beyond the developments in 3D printing in order to understand the implications for various stakeholders.
It will take place on Friday 7th November, 2014 at Bournemouth University’s Executive Business Centre, 89 Holdenhurst Road, BH8 8EB (close to the main railway station).
The event will also provide the platform for a discussion and peer-review of the UKIPO Commissioned Report on the Intellectual Property Implications of 3D printing carried out by researchers at Bournemouth University and Econolyst.
This multi-disciplinary event will be complemented by an exhibition of 3D printing facilities provided by Bournemouth University together with one of the world’s largest 3D printing open-source companies, Ultimaker (Winner of Best Consumer Product and Best Consumer Software at the 2014 3D Print Show Global Awards).
The event is free to attend, although spaces are limited and registration is required. Those with a research interest in 3D printing are welcome to engage in debate on the challenges and opportunities facing this latest emerging technology.
For further information about the event and programme, please visit the CIPPM website. For queries, please contact BU Events (buevents[at]bournemouth.ac.uk) or Dr. Dinusha Mendis (dmendis[at]bournemouth.ac.uk)
Yesterday was the first meeting of the Consumer Research @ BU group (CR@B) and it turned out to be a busy and energising meeting of minds from a wide variety of disciplines from across BU. As we listened to each other’s presentations and compared notes the opportunities for working together in new ways unfolded.
Our aim in bringing the group together is to foster inter-disciplinary research, provide a platform for interaction with industry, and a forum for ideas. Given the success of our first meeting, we will now be holding informal coffee and cake meetings every 4-6 weeks with time for CR@B research bites (short presentations about our research) and discussion. We will also be planning a series of high profile public research talks and workshops designed with research and industry application in mind.
Anyone who is doing consumer research is welcome. This might include researchers working in:-
and almost certainly more.
So … if you think you might be a CR@B, and are out there hiding under a stone, please crawl out and come and join us.
Our next meeting is at 3pm on Wednesday 3rd December in D234, Dorset House, Talbot Campus. If you would like to come along or would simply like to find out more please email either Jeff Bray in Tourism who is hosting our next session or any of the other contacts below so that we can get a feel for numbers.
Jeff Bray (Tourism; jbray@bournemouth.ac.uk) Juliet Memery (Business School; jmemery@bournemouth.ac.uk) Janice Denegri-Knott (Media School; JDKnott@bournemouth.ac.uk) Siné McDougall (SciTech; smcdougall@bournemouth.ac.uk)
Dr. Fabian Homberg and two of BU’s HR&OB PhD students presented their latest research findings at the workshop on “Behavioural Foundations of Public Service Motivation – Exchanging and Aligning Human Resource, Organizational Behaviour and Public Administration Perspectives” at Friedrichshafen, Germany. Organized by Dr. Homberg and Prof. Rick Vogel, Zeppelin University (ZU), and co-funded by Zeppelin University and German Research Foundation (DFG), the workshop attracted top researchers in the field of public service motivation (PSM) from Europe, Asia and the Americas (details here: https://www.zu.de/lehrstuehle/pmpp/psm-workshop-2014.php).
“We enjoyed one and a half days of inspiring, high quality research and in-depth discussions on various aspects of public service motivation,” Homberg said. “Events like this one are crucial for bridging disciplines, advancing theory and help all participants to develop networks and research projects in a friendly, international and collegiate environment.”
Workshop presentations highlighted the different manners in which PSM can be utilised across sectors and in various contexts. Bournemouth PhD student, Jordan Vincent, presented the finding of her experimental research which involves public service motivation, rewards and incentives.
“Having an opportunity to discuss my research with the top researchers in my field and receiving such targeted feedback has proved invaluable in helping me further develop my work,” said Vincent. “Such workshops are a fantastic place to network with real giants in the field and the informal discussions over dinner have been as interesting and important in helping shape my work and my future direction as formal feedback has been.”
Some presentations highlighted how corruption in public administration could be predicted by PSM levels. Other researchers explored the impact PSM could have on the workforces’ job performance or job satisfaction.
“The workshop was the first of its kind to bring together scholars in the fields of HRM, OB and PSM,” explained Dr. Julian Gould-Williams, Keynote speaker from Cardiff University. “It provided a forum to discuss theoretical issues and challenges facing researchers wishing to advance academic scholarship. Of particular note was the supportive environment in which young and more established researchers interacted with each other, thereby optimising collaborative responses to emerging issues.”
Homberg added “We are grateful for the support we received from ZU and DFG, but I also need to thank BU for funding a similar, but much smaller event at the EBC in 2013 which triggered the efforts for the 2014 workshop on “Behavioural Foundations of Public Service Motivation – Exchanging and Aligning Human Resource, Organizational Behaviour and Public Administration Perspectives.”
Some of the research presented at the workshop will – if surviving the peer-review process – be published in a special issue in the International Journal of Manpower. The call for papers can be found here and is open to everyone working on HRM and PSM: (https://www.zu.de/lehrstuehle/pmpp/assets/pdf/CfP_IJM_HRM_PSM.pdf).
Congratulations to Bournemouth University’s Visiting Faculty Dr. Bibha Simkhada and Prof. Padam Simkhada for the paper on financial barriers to the uptake of antenatal care in a rural community in Nepal.1 The first author (a native Nepali-speaker) conducted 50 face-to-face interviews with women and their families in rural Nepal. These interviews were thematically analysed after transcription.
This latest paper adds to our knowledge into user costs related to maternity services in Nepal as we had already published our findings on users costs in the largest obstetric hospital in the capital. 2
Professor Edwin van Teijlingen
CMMPH
References:
Wednesday 12 November 2014
5:30pm arrival for a 6pm start
Executive Business Centre, 89 Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth, BH8 8EB
We are delighted to invite you to join us for a presentation by George Padelopoulos, Sustainability Manager for B&Q.
George will provide an insight into key challenges currently being addressed by B&Q around ‘Mega Trends’, ‘One Planet’ living, and global ethics.
What will be the impact of future consumer trends and climate change on our buying decisions? Will we still have BBQs and power drills sat in the shed all year round or will we simply ‘borrow’ them whenever we need them?
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